How to Choose a Signature Scent

Start with families, not bottles

Before trying anything, identify which olfactive families you gravitate towards: fresh, floral, woody, or amber. Most people discover they have preferred two of the four their whole life.

The six-week method

1. Week one — sample widely, three per day, on paper only.
2. Week two — shortlist six, test on skin.
3. Week three — live with two for a full week each.
4. Week four — wear the leader daily.
5. Week five — ask two honest people what it reads like.
6. Week six — commit or restart with what you learned.

A signature scent should feel unremarkable to you and memorable to everyone else.

Signs you have found it

You reach for it without deciding. You notice it only in passing. It works in at least three different settings.

If you would rather hold two, read the art of layering perfumes for how to combine them.